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AVATAR:
LIVING NEW LIVES
(Prologue)

Everyone in the hut was speechless after what they had witnessed. For all intents and purposes Ronal had lost her baby, and there was nothing that anyone could have done to stop it. But Kiri had initiated Tsaheylu with Ronal, and through the bond, was able to heal the damage done to Ronal's womb when Tsireya was born, which is what had been causing her to miscarry ever since. And then, she went further, fanning the faintest sparks of life in the unborn child to a raging flame, and so, beyond all hope, Ro'a'alani, the youngest daughter of Ronal and Tonowari, and now the goddaughter of the Seed Bearer, was born.

Kiri was the Seed Bearer. The fulfillment of Na'vi legend, born of this world and of another, according to an ancient prophecy first shared with the Na'vi by the Tulkun. And in this moment, all eyes were on her, some showing awe, some reverence, and some fear.

Spider was at her side, his arm around her back supportively as she knelt. He had always known that she was special. She was a beautiful, pure spirit who loved life and the natural world around her. She had accepted him as a kindred spirit from the start, never once making him feel unloved or unwanted. His other adopted siblings had accepted him as well, but it was only in recent years that they had fully embraced him in spite of him being human. It wasn't the same. He loved Kiri, and she loved him. But because he was not Na'vi, he had always believed that he could never be for her all that she needed in a life-mate. And yet, in a brief romantic encounter, Kiri had initiated Tsaheylu with him, on a purely spiritual level. This was proof to him that Kiri was something beyond anything anyone had ever encountered. It did not scare him. It thrilled him that someone so blessed would consider him worth her time, let alone her love. He no longer felt inadequate. He felt complete. He would stand by her side, no matter where she was destined to go, even if it killed him.

Jake looked at Kiri with pride. His adopted daughter had always confided in him about feeling odd, abnormal, and recently, crazy. He had to admit that when she told him about feeling Eywa's presence so strongly, being able to hear her breathing, and hear her mighty heartbeat. it had reminded him of the words some religious fanatics back on Earth had spoken about God speaking to them. Back then, he had dismissed such notions as delusional. But he had not yet come to Pandora, and had not yet seen the wonders of Eywa. While Kiri's words had been similar to those of the fanatics, he did not dismiss them as delusional. Kiri had always been far more connected with Pandora and its life than anyone else. Even Neytiri had been amazed when she had bonded with her Ikran after simply asking it to be her friend. It was unheard of. An Ikran would either avoid a Na'vi seeking Tsaheylu, or would try to kill them if it wanted to see if he or she was worthy of flying with them for life. And there had been other little things. All pointing to the here and now.

Neytiri looked at Kiri in awe. As the daughter of a Tsahik, she had heard the prophecy of the Seed Bearer. She knew it had originated from the Tulkun and was first passed to the Na'vi sea clans. Her mother had told her that communing with Eywa and seeking answers about the prophecy only resulted in a feeling of joyful anticipation. As if Eywa herself was looking forward to the Seed Bearer's coming. But aside from the vague promises of balance and peace embodied in one of the People, the prophecy was an unknown. And now, to find out that her own adopted daughter was being declared as the Seed Bearer, she didn't know what to think. So she felt. She felt fear, for what it might mean for Kiri, and her other children. Joy that Kiri's feelings of beain a freak were unfounded. Confusion because Kiri was born of an Avatar body, and therefore the child of an artificial product of human sorcery, which Jake called "science." But then, the thought occurred to her. "The People" could refer to two races sharing the same world, in this case, the people of Earth, and the people of Pandora. From her own communions with Eywa, seeking wisdem about how to deal with the sky people, The impressions she got were that the Great Mother saw both the Na'vi and humans as the same. If the Seed Bearer was to be the product of both species, then the promises of the prophecy had to somehow apply to both peoples.

Ao'nung had entered the hut in time to hear his mother declare Kiri as both seed bearer and godmother of his new sister. He did not know what had happened, but there was no sign that his mother was delirious or confused. He saw the fire of certainty in her eyes, and he knew that if she said it, it had to be true. The thought terrified him. That he dared to think himself worthy to court the Seed Bearer herself. That he had dared to risk her wrath by insulting her human friend, who he saw holding her close at that very moment. Suddenly, the terrifyingly wonderous thing he had seen her do with the anemone in the battle brought horror to his heart. She could kill him without effort. She was destined for a purpose higher than becoming a Tsahik and mate to an Olo'eyktan. He was nothing compared to her. In an instant, all his hopes and dreams of winning her affection were gone. The only desire in his heart towards her now was to be her friend. Because he had no intention of becoming her enemy. He looked at her, holding Spider close, with tears in her eyes. He no longer saw Spider as some freakish rival. He saw clearly that it was the will of Eywa that he would be the Seed Bearer's mate. There was no room for jealousy or petty bickering. This was his clan-sibling as much as Lo'ak, Tuk and Kiri were, by his father's decree. He owed the human a sincer apology. But most importantly, in this moment of clarity, he realized that his place was not to be an Olo'eyktan of a new village, but to be a protector of this one, its future chief and to the Seed Bearer. His was now the path of First Warrior.

Having recovered from the shock of what had just happened, Kiri swallowed hard and drew a shuddering breath as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She met Ronal's eyes, and nodded. "I am honored. I will try to be the best godmother I can be for Ro'a'alani." She made no mention of being the Seed Bearer, as she was not ready to deal with the implications. She understood that the Great Mother was using her for wonderful things. But it was terrifying as much as it was wonderful. In what had just happened, she was aware of what was going on, but when she spoke, though the voice had been hers, the words were not. And her movements might as well have been those of someone else, and she was only observing. She always had feared the moments when she was not in control, but this time, she did not want to be in control. And that scared her, too. She needed to make Tsaheylu with the oldest and wisest tulkun among the pod that had come here: to understand what being the Seed Bearer meant. And then, she knew that, no matter the risk, she must commune with Eywa through the Spirit Tree again.

The only thing that anyone in the hut that day knew for certain was that they were all about to begin living new lives.